Gulls From The Storm
how to make sun-print charms like a sea witch
Sea-inspired vessels for my Sea Charm candle project of summer 2021, beautifully made to my design by David the Potter
Home, home,
Wanderers home,
Cormorant to rock,
Gulls from the storm,
Boat to the harbour,
Safe sail home!
Kathleen Raine, ‘Spell to Bring Lost Creatures Home’ (extract)
Hello and welcome, Between the Moons friends.
Since it’s high summer here, I’ve been looking to the sea. And that reminded me of my Sea Charm candle project of a few years ago. That summer, I was immersed in the folklore, history and sheer magic of the seashore, fascinated by the way that humans have always been drawn to its mysteries as a source of protection, healing and luck.
Something as natural as this seabird feather caught on a rounded pebble as the tide draws patterns in the sand still evokes a sense of magic and ritual
The theme for this candle edition was never far beneath the surface as it taps into my love of both the sea and of magic, but the actual catalyst was a shallow dish I owned (since sadly broken) that had been brought home from one of David the Potter’s biannual open studios. When I approached him about recreating that misty seascape for the interior of each of the sea charm vessels he was uncertain that he would be able to, since the one I owned had been an experiment he couldn’t guarantee being able to repeat. Needless to say, he succeeded brilliantly, with each interior speaking of the seashore yet being subtly different from the next - truly a one-off.
A further catalyst was the seashore itself with its appeal to all the senses - though the colours were inspired by a sunnier day (and therefore a bluer sea!) than this stormy one at Walcott, Norfolk
While the tangible outcome of the project was a candle in a vessel that could be physically ‘owned’, there was so much more to it than that. Stories, snippets and snatches added up to a bundle that I hoped might itself act as a sort of charm, given the care and focus that had gone into each of its elements.